The Los Angeles Dodgers had great reason to rejoice following their 5-2 victory to capture the NL West title over the Colorado Rockies on Monday night, October 1 — and outfielder Yasiel Puig, for one, wasn’t able to contain himself in celebration of the feat.
Puig’s 1-for-4 performance at the plate might have been outdone by the pair of two-run homers that Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger jacked to secure the win, but nobody was one-upping a jacked Puig in the locker room after the game. The 27-year-old Cuban star can still recall how his Dodgers squad came up short against the Houston Astros in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series, nearly one year ago. If there is one thing that he made sure to mention to the media when the microphone got around to him, it was that the boys in blue are headed back to the big show — and that this time, they are bringing the trophy back to L.A. with them.
“We’re going for more. Hey Atlanta, I’ll see you soon baby! And the next one – Chicago, Colorado, no matter who’s going – we’re gonna beat it. And we’re going to the World Series again. And this time, we’re going to win the World Series,” a shirtless and seemingly semi-intoxicated Puig told KLAC AM 570 LA Sports reporter, David Vassegh, as his teammates popped champagne around him. “In 2018, the big party is here in Los Angeles!”
Puig would follow his prediction up with a wink of the eye before proceeding to stick his tongue out, turn his torso towards Vassegh, and to jerk his head around as he pumped his body. He’d then appear to momentarily step off with the flexing of one of his bicep muscles – but immediately returned to spill the three Budweiser beers he had been gripping, all over Vassegh. It was apparent that Puig had a lot of fun soaking Vassegh, too. As Puig emptied the bottles out — his arms lifted high up over the reporter — he gyrated forward with a little dance.
#Dodgers MOOD ??? @YasielPuig
?: @MLB pic.twitter.com/UkQlybpp78
— Power 106 (@Power106LA) October 2, 2018
Although clips showing his interview with Vassegh have gone viral — Puig’s emotions running high after helping Los Angeles obtain its sixth consecutive division pennant — Puig didn’t strictly reserve his affection for the team reporter. A couple of other recordings that have been circulating around social media catch the slugger showing the same love to his teammates.
One such snippet captures the moment that Puig acknowledged Walker Buehler as his favorite pitcher in hindsight of the 6.2-inning gem that he tossed just a couple of hours prior. That interaction concluded with Buehler cringing — after Puig cradled his head to pull him in for a kiss.
So they say Yasiel Puig is a bad teammate… let’s take a look at the tape! #Dodgers #PuigYourFriend pic.twitter.com/UGtmVJf0vc
— Kyle Ghafouri (@KyleG28) October 2, 2018